Child of Kami, Heir of Shinigami
by Karamatsu-Boi
Summary: From birth Naruto's fate was sealed. No later then when he could stand on his own, he was left neglected by his family and hated. His sister held the chakra, while he held the hated soul. His only saving grace were his prayers. The only time he felt love and safe was when he prayed to Kami above. Unbeknownst to him, he was much closer to Kami than he thought. (Reaper!Naruto)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Naruto or any of it's characters...why Kami...WHY!? ( TT^TT )**

 **WARNING: This is a NEGLECT fic! Don't like, then go kiss a chidori. Also kind of standard Kami as Naruto's mother story. But I promise it's much more interesting than it may seem! Please don't click the "back" button! No! Don't click on it! NOOOOO!**

 **Also minor language and gore. Not much, but some, especially in future chapters. So be warned.**

 **Fatherly!Shinigami, motherly!Kami**

 **Good: Kurama, other bijuu, Orochimaru, Tsunade, Danzo, others**

 **Bad(Bashing): Minato(alive), Natsuki (younger sister), Sasuke, Sakura, Jiraiya(may get better), Hiruzen(not really bashed, but not nice to Naru), others / no real Kushina bashing, but she will be a little neglectful towards Naruto. Not very, but it will seem like she favors his sister over him in beginning. WILL CHANGE! I love Kushina ^^(NOTE: she will mostly be neglectful under the influence of Minato, who wholeheartedly cares for Natsuki and not Naruto)**

 **Reaper!Naruto (like a worker of the Shinigami, but not on his level / NOT OP Naruto. He'll be powerful, definitely spiritually, but not OP.)**

 **AN: This idea came to mind at 3am after reading many neglect Naruto fics. So forgive me if the beginning is a little...off? I plan to take this story pretty far, but I don't know how far. I'm hoping to get some good feedback from it, sop that'll decide how far I'm going with this.**

 **Thank you to all who have chosen to read this! Enjoy, ttebayo! O.O...KUSO! GET OUT OF MY HEAD UZUMAKI! (imaginary Naruto: kukuku! Neva! (=^w^=))**

Bijuu/God Speech: "Naru"

 **Bijuu/God Thought: _"Naru"_**

 **Human Speech:** "Naru"

 **Human Thought/flashback** : _"Naru"_

* * *

Monologue

* * *

 _Tired emerald and sea blue eyes gazed down in despair at the alter, two tightly wrapped bundles lying lifeless atop the cool surface. Both blue and emerald teared up, each standing on either side of the prone forms._

 _"I...I don't know what I did wrong. I performed the sealing just as sensei had taught me! I...Gomennasai Kushina. I killed them. Natsuki. Naruto. Our children." came the cracked voice of a blonde haired man standing beside the still infant with curly red hair and tan skin. He held her cold hand in his own, a lone tear falling from his puffy eyes, landing on his daughter's forehead._

 _Opposite of the blonde man, a petite framed woman with exotic blood red hair stood cradling their son, nestling his curly blonde hair as she ran trembling fingers across his pale whiskered cheek. Her tears fell freely down her rosy cheeks, dampening the blood stained rags shielding her son from the outside world._

 _She shook her head from side to side, clinging desperately to her child, who had barely been born to the world before being taken away from her, "No, no! They can't be gone, they just can't be! I didn't even get to see their eyes open, or hear their laughter! I wanted it all! Their love, joy, hurt, everything! I wanted to be their mother, Minato! Why Kami-sama? Why did this have to happen to them?!" she sobbed, too hysteric to even acknowledge the wrinkled tan hand of Konoha's previous Hokage that fell upon her trembling shoulder._

 _"Kushina-chan...I'm sorry. But the bodies must be taken in now. Thankfully the Kyuubi was successfully seal. Now we must seal away the bodies for the village's protection-" She slapped away his supportive hand, reaching across the alter and pulling her daughter from under her husband's hand, and to her chest. She backed away from the two men, frantically shaking her head in refusal._

 _"No! You will not take them from me! They can still be saved! I know it! I can feel it! Please, believe me! I can feel Kami-sama's will inside of them! If you would just wait, I know they'll wake up-"_

 _"Kushina! Listen to yourself! They're gone, you and I both know it! Their bodies couldn't withstand the Kyuubi's demonic energy, and it burned their insides within an instant. Natsuki's chakra coils were burnt out by the Kyuubi's, and the fox's soul devoured Naruto's upon sealing! Don't lie to yourself!" Minato exclaimed as he approached her, reaching out to take the bundles from her grasp, "I wanted to be there for them too, but it is too late now. It was not our fate to be the parents of these children. They. Are. Gone-"_

 _ **'SLAP'**_

 _Both Hiruzen and Minato stared wide eyed at the former jinchuuriki, the latter cupping his stinging cheek in disbelief._

 _"Ku...Kushi..na?"_

 _Backing farther away from her husband, Kushina fell to her knees onto the scorched ground. Hastily laying the infants on their backs, she alternated between the two, desperately blowing streams of air through their small, undeveloped windpipes. Gasping for air as her sobbing began to clog up her own airway._

 _"I...will not...let them...go!" she cried, carefully pumping her hands on their chests, wailing in agony when she heard a faint 'crack' emit from her son's chest. But she continued on, continuing to force the air from her lungs to those of her children. Fate however, seemed to clash against her efforts._

 _Their beautiful rounded faces seemed to only grow paler by the minute, as if her actions were further ending their young lives. Even death seemed to mock her._

 _Shaky hands finally pulled away from the ice cold bodies, coming up to cover her quivering mouth. This time when she felt a hand fall upon her shoulder, she allowed it to pull her into a warm embrace. Clinging to the front of the other's white coat, she released her screams of raw agony fall from cracked lips, not at all muffled out by the thundering sky above._

 _Looking up to the unseen heavens, Kushina cried, "Please...oh please Kami-sama! Please don't take them from me! They had so much more to live for! I know you felt the same! You blessed these two angels to us, so please...PLEASE LET US HAVE THEM, KAMI-SAMA!"_

* * *

" **PLEASE LET US HAVE THEM, KAMI-SAMA!"**

 _The cheerful giggles of an infant responded to the static cry, reaching out to the weeping face of the woman, only to whine and wriggle when a delicate hand waved away the image acting as a mirror into the mortal_ _world_.

 **' _How selfish. I grant them the gift of two lives, and that blonde man throws them away. I have every right to keep them!'_** _thought a lone figure, who sat perched atop a much too large throne made of solid white gold, riddled with diamonds and pearls. This figure was undeniably female, what with the front of her robes falling open to reveal the cleavage of her smooth unblemished breast._

 _The woman tucked lean legs beneath her as she leaned farther into her throne, resting her back against its plush cloud like pillow. A cool breeze blew around the woman, swirling around stray strands of snow white hair that danced in the wind. Warm violet eyes fluttered closed as the breeze swept passed her, ruffling the silver silk of her robes, tied fast to her being by a long golden sash. A lone pale hand reached up to her chest, patting tenderly at the small being latched fast to her left breast. A warm smile spread across her face, gazing down lovingly at the small infant. Another hand came up to twirl a stray blonde curl, earning a joyful gurgle from the blonde babe._

 _Lifting the infant up to eye level, she relished in its toothless grin, small hands grabbing at air in an attempt to pull her closer. Yes. She had every right to keep this little angel._

 _ **"Yes, but that would be selfish of you as well, my love."**_

 _Not startled in the least by the sudden voice, the violet eyed woman looked up from the child in her arms to look upon the large intimidating figure of the man before her. His long, waist length onyx hair brushing past her, dancing along side her own in the wind. Cool, icy blue eyes upturned with mirth._

 _She turned her nose up defiantly, pouting almost childishly as she cradled the infant closer to her chest,_

 _ **"It is not selfish when I am simply taking back the gift that a mortal so foolishly threw away. You were the one to guide their souls here. You saw just what that man did!"** she hissed, the surrounding clouds booming with thunder, voicing her anger to the world below._

 _The man sighed, only for it to turn into a groan of irritation as one of the_ 'gifts' _began to squirm in his grasp. Pulling back faded rags, the scrunched up pink face of an infant was made visible. Small hands pushed and pinched at the man's skin, earning a low growl._

 ** _"You took the blonde one and gave me this one on purpose, didn't you."_** _he groaned, prying the infant from his chest, holding her at arms length._

 _The woman sighed, motioning for the man to hand her the upset child. Doing so without hesitation, the red haired child was now in the woman grasp, while the small blonde boy was gurgling happily in the man's arms. The woman flinched slightly when the infant latched onto her breast rather roughly, slurping greedily at her now sore nipple._

 _Still, she patted the girl's head encouragingly, sighing when the child shook its head, seemingly trying to shake her hand off, **"I attempted to feed the both of them upon their arrival. However the girl here refused to share my chest, and continuously pushed and pinched at her brother's cheek, causing him to cry. If anything, he needed to be fed the most, as having the soul of a bijuu, especially the Kyuubi's, sealed away inside you can be quite draining. In this case, fatal."** she gazed between the two children sadly, **"Not even an hour old, and they're already returning home. A cruel fate. I am sorry I had you be the one to retrieve their souls, Shinigami-koi."** a lone tear escaped her eye, gently being wiped away by a cold finger._

 ** _"It is my duty, my love. I understand. A soul personally guided by myself is the only gateway to your secluded heaven, Kami-sama."_**

 _Kami smiled, guiding the other's hands to her lips, placing a kiss on his open palm, **"The honorific 'sama' after my name is only used by those who respect me."**_

 _Bringing her hand up to his own lips, he turned is upwards to place a kiss on her own open palm, **"I adore you. I treasure you. I respect you. I love you."** he said with a warm smile._

 _Careful of the still feeding infant, Kami stood from her throne to pull Shinigami into an embrace, laughing softly when the blonde infant in the other's arms leaned down to her, placing a sloppy kiss on her cheek. She reached up to stroke each individual whisker on his cheek,_

 ** _"Even when I'm being selfish?"_**

 _ **"Even then."** he nodded._

 _Pulling back from the embrace with a sigh, Kami waved her hand in the air, causing it to flicker before opening up to reveal the image of a familiar red and blonde haired couple who had yet to move from their place on the ground. Violet eyes narrowed as they landed on the blonde man in particular._

 _ **"You can feel it, can't you koi?"**_

 _Shinigami sighed, **"Yes. Darkness has clouded his heart. As soon as he took the Hokage's hat, he put the duty of running the village before any future family he would've had. He proved just that tonight. He knew very well that his sealing was correct when he summoned me, forcing me to seal the fox into these children. His only concern was for that of the village. My only regret is not reaping his soul when I was summoned."**_

 _ **"You were thinking about the children growing up without a father."** Kami smiled, reaching up to caress his cheek lovingly._

 _Nodding, he looked down to the blonde in his arms, smiling as the child played with a stray strand of his hair, uncaring of the world around him. Looking up to his counterpart, he couldn't help but sigh at her saddened expression,_

 _ **"No one is forcing you to return their souls to the living. If you wish to keep them, I will stand by your side."** Kami smiled, stroking thick red locks, undeterred by the child's attempts at pushing her offending hand away. She didn't resist when Shinigami took the infant girl from her arms, instead grinning down at the blonde given to her in the girl's place. Unlike the girl, the blonde boy happily reach out to her, taking her finger into his grasp and giggling as she wiggle it. This was the joy of a child. This was the gift that Kami blessed the world with, and she would not selfishly take one away from an all too eager mother._

 _Turning away from the mirror she created, Kami placed one last kiss atop the blonde infant's head before handing his giggling form over to her lover, who much to her amusement had seemingly been wrestling with the red haired girl, trying to pry his now tangled strand of hair from her tightly fisted hands._

 _She gave a tearful smile as Shinigami made his way over to the mirror, and with a wave of his hand, turning it into a pathway leading to the mortal world. A place where gods, with the exception of reapers or the Shinigami himself, could not pass to. Once he left with these two bundles of joy, Kami would most likely never have the chance to hold them in her loving embrace again._

 _She leaned into the hand that came down wipe away her fallen tears, holding onto it tightly as she allowed more to fall,_

 _ **"I will miss them."**_

 _ **"And they will miss you."** he kissed her cheek, smiling when the blonde in his arms did the same to her other one, **"See hime? They will never forget you. I'm sure they will grow to respect and love you just as much as their birth mother. Naruto especially."** he chuckled._

 _Turning to the little blonde, Kami couldn't help but smile as she gazed into the most beautiful sky blue eyes she had ever seen posses by a mortal. With a final kiss to boy's cheek, she nodded to the reaper in consent, watching as he nodded back to her before walking through his created portal, leaving her alone in her heaven once more._

 _Recreating her mirror, she allowed a small smile to grace her lips._

 _ **"You work fast, koi."** she praised, humming with contentment as she leaned back into a large warm chest, snuggling into the other's large warm arms that encased her lovingly._

 ** _"As soon as they heard the children's cries, I was no longer needed."_** _he mumbled as he pressed his lips to her cheek, **"I also didn't want to leave you alone for long. I know how hard that was for you. You grew so close to them in such a short time. I know it was especially hard for you to let go of little Naruto."**_

 _Gazing into the mirror, a larger, and much more sincere smile cross her lips. Even with being out in the cold, covered with nothing but rags, her little Naruto shined as brightly as the sun itself in the gloomy world of mortal._

 ** _"Yes. His departure will surely leave a permanent longing in my heart. I am happy however that he now has a chance to grow and live as he was suppose to."_**

 _Taking one last glance down at the reunited family, Kami clasped her hands together,_ ** _'I pray for your fortune, Naruto-kun. I pray that you live happily without too many hardships. I finally pray, that you receive nothing but joy and love form those around you. My angel. My Naruto. Live well, my child.'_**

* * *

 _Though the newly united family of four felt nothing but relief and joy at this moment, one member in particular would be in for a rude awakening not too far from then in his life. It seemed not even with the prayers of Kami herself could protect him from the cruel reality of the world._

* * *

 **AN: AND DONE WITH CHAPTER 1! Whew! That was tough! At first I had no idea how I would start this, but then I thought it would be easier with some sort of monologue. So here we are ^^ Now I know that this chapter wasn't really about Naruto. This was just an introduction to Kami and Shinigami, who will be playing a large part in Naruto's life later on. I hope you all enjoyed, and that you will decide to stick around for the updates of this story! Thank you all for reading!**

 **One more thing! I am open to any pairings you might want, but please mind who is being bashed in this story! So no NaruSaku, SasSaku, Naru(his sister). And no NaruKushi, I want them to be strictly family oriented! Again, thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto (lucky teme 3 I WANT NARUSASU BABIES!)**

 **WARNING: Neglect fic. Minor language and gore(very minor, will increase a bit later).**

 **Bashings were mentions in chapter 1, so you have been warned. Don't like, don't read.**

 **NOTE/URGENT!: I have decided to change Sasuke bashing. I've decided to make it so that he's a little mean to Naruto in the beginning,but he will change once they are place on a team together. The more I thought about how Naruto would do in the academy and team placements, I saw that he needed at least one person who didn't treat him like crap. And I've always loved their friendship, so I've decided not to mess it up in this story. Sorry if this disappoints anyone! But hey, now you have another pairing option! XD**

 **Reaper!Naruto**

 **Bijuu/God Speech: "Naru"**

 **Bijuu/God Thought: _"Naru"_**

 **Human Speech:** "Naru"  
 **Human Thought/Flashback:** _"Naru"_

 **AN: There are still no decided pairings. I'm just waiting to see how many different suggestions I'll get before deciding. Feel free to leave a suggestion in the reviews! Thank you for reading. Enjoy! Also, please read 'AN:' at the end of the chapter for urgent news on story progression! Thank you! No read on!**

* * *

Chapter 2: New Found Faith

* * *

Vibrant violet eyes looked down lovingly, a bright smile gracing the mysterious woman's angelic features. To the side, a set of cool blue looked on affectionately. Both the man and woman held out a single hand each, as if welcoming something into their joint embrace.

 _"-aruto...Oi! Naru-!"_

 _ **The man's smile fell, etching into a frown. The woman maintained her smile, however it was now one of sadness.**_

 _"-ake up dobe!"_

 ** _A disembodied hand suddenly seemed to be reaching out to the two figures, desperately trying to grab onto them. It was all in vain, as the man and woman grew farther and father away from the outstretched limb. With a shake of the head, the man seemed to disappear all together, leaving the woman standing alone on what looked to be white clouds._**

 _ **Another hand appeared alongside the first. They clawed and puled at the air, in hopes it would bring the woman closer. Though in vain, the action made the woman smile. Lifting her own hand, she gave gentle wave, before disappearing all together.**_

"OI, BAKA! WAKE UP ALREADY! YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME LATE!"

And just like that, the feeling of warmth that was left behind by the mysterious woman left in an abrupt wave of air. Replaced with ever present rejection and loneliness.

Slowly, a pair of unnaturally electric blue eyes began to crack open, small pale hands coming up to wipe away any remains of blissful sleep. The owner of these eyes pouted in confusion at the short figure standing overhead, sea green eyes glaring down with irritation. As the rest of the blurriness made its way from their eyes, they could make out familiar vibrant red hair tied in twin pigtails, a few loose strands serving as bangs that framed either side of the twelve year old's round, whiskered cheeks.

"Natsuki? What are you yelling for?"

The red haired girl sneered, her twinkling eyes holding disdain as they glared down at the boy whom she had the 'joy' of calling brother, "Finally you're awake! We're going to be late for my first day at the academy! On my birthday no less!" she complained, glaring accusingly at the boy in front of her, who was finally able to sit up right without returning to dream world.

"It's _our_ first day of academy today. And it's my birthday too you know..." the blonde mumbled under his breath, frowning when his sister only scoffed before making her way to the door.

"Like anyone cares about _that,_ baka. Just hurry up and get ready! We would have left without you, but kaa-san made us wait for you. Out of pity probably." she snickered, uncaring of the hurt in the other's eyes as she slammed the door closed behind her.

With a heavy sigh, the young blonde kicked off his old, worn covers before slowly climbing out of bed. Bypassing his closet and bathroom, he walked around his plain room until coming to a stop in front of his bedroom window. Kneeling until sitting comfortably on his knees, he took hold of a black beaded rosary that sat on his windowsill. Bringing it close to his chest, he bowed his head and began to mutter his morning prayer. True his sister said that they were running late, but it's not like he could just get dressed and leave the house without completing his morning routine. Of this, he was sure his family knew well of. Well, that is however, if they would pay any actual attention to him or his practices.

It hadn't always been where he was neglected by them. There was a time when they were all one big happy family. He even had a few vague memories of his toddler years, either cradled in his mother's loving embrace, or bouncing happily on his father's lap. There were even a few fond memories of him and is sister playing together with the new toys they had been given on their birthday. However, that had all changed once their father had insisted on beginning their training after their fifth birthday. 

_~~~Flashback no jutsu!~~~_

 _._

.

.

 _"Tou-san, tou-san! Is it true? Are you really going to start training me and Naru-nii!" a small red haired girl asked excitedly, looking up to her father expectantly. She giggled as he lifted her up into his arms, nestling her curly red hair affectionately as he grinned,_

 _"Absolutely! I promised you both, didn't I? To start your training after your fifth birthday. The Hokage never goes back on his word!" the blonde man grinned, chest puffing out dramatically, only to deflate as he scratched the back of his sheepishly, having caught his wife's deadpanned stare. Natsuki pumped her small fists into the air,_

 _"Yay! So does this mean that Naru and I can play with toads like you and Gama-jiji_ **(AN: toad grandpa/ aka: Jiraiya)** _do?"_

 _Minato scratched his cheek, "Ah, unfortunately not this time Tsuki-chan. Sensei had to leave on urgent business after the party, so you and Naruto won't be learning that just yet." he explained, feeling his heart clench as her lip began to quiver, big sea foam eyes threatening to tear up,_

 _"B-Butt *sniff* Naru-nii and I wanted to learn that today! We wanted to become as cool as you, tou-san! But now *sniff* w-we can't!" she sniffled, rubbing at her eyes with her small, fisted hands._

 _Not a second later, Natsuki found her father squeezing her tightly, bawling his eyes out into her yellow sun dress, "Don't cry my precious Tsuki-chan! Tou-san promises to teach you a super cool jutsu instead until sensei gets back! Please forgive your tou-san!"_

 _As if nothing had happened, the young girl smiled brightly up at her sniffling father, "Arigatou tou-san!" she grinned before jumping down from his arms, running back inside the Namikaze estate to change. The blonde man was left sniffling on her hand and knees, wiping at his eyes childishly,_

 _"T-Thank you, my kind, forgiving child!" he wept, oblivious to his wife's twitching eyebrow._

 _"I swear Minato, that little girl has you wrapped around her little finger." Kushina shook her head with a sigh, before smiling down at the small child on her lap._

 _"Well," she began, nestling his hair, "how do you feel about starting training with your tou-san? Aren't you excited! Once he's taught you a few things about chakra control, than kaa-san here can teach you the real cool stuff!" she smiled, grinning as her son began to bounce up and down with excitement,_

 _"I'm excited! I'll finally be able to become an awesome ninja like you and tou-san!" the young blonde boy chirped, smiling up at his mother, "Someday, I'll be the strongest ninja ever! Like you kaa-san!" he grinned, crying out in surprise when he was suddenly pulled close to her chest, a large wet spot forming on his shirt as his mother bawled her eyes out._

 _"That's right! You'll be just like your kaa-san!" she cried, oblivious to her husband who gave her a blank stare._

 _"And you say_ I'm _wrapped around Natsuki's finger..." he grumbled, turning around when her heard a pair of running footsteps. He caught his daughter with ease, smiling when he noticed she had finally changed into appropriate training attire._

 _She grinned up at him, "I'm back tou-san! Let's start training now!"_

 _Without a bat of an eyelash, the blonde kage caught his other child, who bounced happily in his arms,"Yeah, I'm ready too!"_

 _Grinning down at his children, Minato began running towards the back of the house, where his private training grounds were, "Alright then! Let the training begin!"_

 _._

.

 _"Come on Naruto, try it again!" Minato encouraged once again, doing his best at keeping the irritation from his voice. Looking over to his daughter, he nodded approvingly at her progression in tree walking._

 _The young blonde balled his fists in frustration, doing his best at keeping himself standing on shaky legs, "I-I'm trying! My feet just won't stick!"_

 _The kage's eyes narrowed, "Don't complain, just try harder. Just look at your sister! She has her naturally large reserves of chakra due to being part Uzumaki_ plus _the Kyuubi's chakra! If she can get the exercise down so easily, then what's your excuse?" he frowned, smiling over his shoulder at his daughter who was moving onto water walking under his wife's instruction,_

 _"You're doing great Tsuki-chan! I expected nothing less of my child!" he praised, earning a large grin from his daughter. Turning back to his panting son with a hardened expression, Minato shook his head disapprovingly, "As for_ you, _Naruto, I am beyond disappointed. You are giving me nothing but excuses for you failure of this exercise. I could understand if it's hard, but you aren't even trying! How can the village be protected by a shinobi who complains about every little thing! As Hokage, I cannot stand for such a useless shinobi under my command. Until you get your act together and take this s_ eriously, _I will no longer be training you. You will just have to wait until you are entered into the academy. That is final."_

 _Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief, oblivious to the fact that at some point during the conversation, fallen to his knees, "B-But...T-Tou-san...I promise, I was trying really hard! But every time I felt like I had it, it felt like all my chakra would suddenly disappear, and I'd fall off! Please tou-san! Just let me try it again-"_

 _"ENOUGH NARUTO! You are to stop making up excuses, go to your room, and think about what you've done! Am. I. CLEAR?!"_

 _By this time, both Kushina and Natsuki had stopped practicing, instead watching as Naruto nodded his head fearfully before taking off into the house._

 _The young blonde rushed up the stairs, not stopping until he reached his room. Slamming the door behind him, he quickly locked it before throwing himself onto his bed, letting all his tears of frustration out into his pillow._

 _He really had been trying his best, but his tou-san just wouldn't listen! And his kaa-san didn't even try to stand up for him! Just because his sister could get the exercise down so easily, didn't mean it would be the same for him._

"Don't complain, just try harder. Just look at your sister! She has her naturally large reserves of chakra due to being part Uzumaki plus the Kyuubi's chakra! If she can get the exercise down so easily, then what's your excuse?"

 _His father's words continued to ring in his ear. If Natsuki really did have all that chakra, but could pull off the technique, then what_ was _his excuse? From what his parents had told him, Natsuki had the chakra of the Kyuubi, while Naruto himself had its soul. So from that bit of information, he shouldn't have gotten any extra chakra from the bijuu's soul, therefore it should be_ easier _for him to control his natural reserves gifted to him by his Uzumaki blood. Yet here he was, unable to even conjure up even a little bit of his chakra to stick to a tree, while his sister with_ double _his amount of chakra could do it on the first go!_

 _He wiped at his moist eyes tiredly. It's not that he wasn't happy for his sister's good fortune. He just wished that he could also be so fortunate as to have his father praise him. All he wanted was to become a strong, respectable shinobi, who could protect his village and precious people from harm. To fight for what's right, and bring peace to all the elemental nations._ _That was his only wish, and he could only pray that it come true-_

 _Jumping with a start, Naruto looked to his bedroom window, which he could have_ sworn _was closed a moment ago. Carefully climbing off the bed, he made his way around to the window, jumping again when he found a mysterious looking black beaded necklace of some kind sitting on his windowsill. Picking it up with caution, Naruto found it to be far different than any necklace he had seen his kaa-san wear._

 _Looking closer with squinted eyes, he was shocked to find himself mumbling, "It's a rosary!"_

 _Frantically looking around the room for something that could have possibly given him that information, he only found himself even more confused as unknown information about the item and its workings file into his head. Taking a chance with the new found information, he knelt down in front of the window, clasping the beaded item tightly over his heart. Bowing his head, he allowed his eyes to fall shut as he began to mumble his attempt at a prayer._

 _"Dear Kami-sama. I don't know where this thing came from, or how I know how to use it, but I'm hoping that it will help me. I know I can't ask you to make me a really cool ninja, because then everyone would be doing that and no one would need to train for anything! So I guess I'll pray for something else then. I pray to always be in your good fortune, like my sister Natsuki is with my tou-san. I pray that no matter what I do, you'll always be there for me, and that I never disappoint you. I know that you won't believe me right away, so I promise to work hard and prove myself to you! I know I can do it, so just you wait Kami-sama! I will be your biggest believer and will respect you no matter what! Amen!"_

.  
 _~~~Flashback no jutsu kai!~~~_

.

Opening his eyes, Naruto couldn't help but smile down at the rosary in his hand. Though that memory was the starting point of his neglect, it was also when he found his faith in Kami, whom he had only grown to love and respect even more. That memory will forever be both painful and cherished for as long as he lived.

Standing from his kneeling position, he offered one last glance out his window and up into the sky. _'Thank you for being there for me, Kami-sama. Wish me luck today.'_ he thought with a smile before rushing to his bathroom, thankful he had already set out his clothes the night before.

* * *

"I told you we were running late baka! What took you so long?!" Natsuki glared, frowning when her brother offered a small smile.

"Happy birthday Natsuki." he smiled kindly, unaffected when she simply turned the other way, stomping off in a huff. Sighing, Naruto silently made his way to the kitchen, in hopes of finding something small to eat before being rushed out of the house by his short tempered sibling. He was surprised however when he found his mother standing over the stove, ladle and bowl in hand with a bright grin on her face.

"Happy birthday sochi! I made your favorite, miso ramen!" she chirped, unsettled with how genuinely shocked and confused her son seemed to be at her kind gesture, but continue to smile as she placed the large bowl on the counter with a pair of chopsticks on the side. That's when she noticed her son's outfit, and her grin widened, if that was even possible,

"Well don't you look nice today. Is that what you decided to by with the money you earned from helping out at that old shrine? They look nice on you."

Naruto scratched his cheek sheepishly, fidgeting slightly with the fabric of his new top. A few years back he had taken a part time job at the last standing shrines in Konoha, and had been saving up money for a more 'traditional' outfit after it being suggested to him by the old priestess that ran the shrine. Rather than his old orange and black T-shirts and pants that he use to wear, he now wore a few different shades of blue, black and white.

He wore a tight fitting sleeveless black high collared muscle shirt that showed off his slowly but surely growing muscles. To go over that, he had bought a slightly oversized light blue haori with white threaded Uzumaki swirls. On his lower half, he decided to wear standard black ANBU pants that were tapped off with white tape around his ankles. Rather than the standard shinobi sandals, he opted for a simple pair of black thong sandals. Around his wrists were black arm warmers that started from his wrist and ended just beneath his elbows. Around his right wrist however, was his precious rosary that he refused to leave home without. He had also used the hairstyle of the priestess at the shrine, and had his shoulder length hair tied in a low ponytail that hung harmlessly over his left shoulder.

Offering his mother a small appreciative smile, he slowly began to eat his birthday breakfast, humming in satisfaction as the savory flavors came in contact with his tongue. Just as he was really starting to enjoy it, he found the bowl being yanked abruptly from his hands, a few stray strands off noodles hanging from his mouth.

"Nu uh! You should have gotten ready faster, then you could've had breakfast. But now we're running late because of you! So get up, and come on already!" Natsuki huffed, handing the barely touched bowl of ramen to her mother, who gave her a disapproving look.

"Now that's not nice Natsuki. Your brother should be able to enjoy his birthday breakfast-"

"Natsuki-chan is right Kushina. Naruto should have been down here faster if he wanted to eat. Now, we need to get to the academy so that I can welcome all the newly enrolled students. So, are you finally ready, Naruto?" Minato stared down at his son, noting the change in attire.

Sighing, Naruto attached his weapons pouch to his thigh, before nodding, "Hai, Hokage-sama." he recited with ease, earning a nod of approval from the older blonde before he turned to make his way out the door, Natsuki close to his side. With a deep sigh, Naruto forced himself to fall in stride a few steps behind them, keeping an 'appropriate' distance from the two. These were but a few of the rules given to him by the Hokage. Ever since his father had stopped training him, the kage had no longer seen Naruto in a familiar way. So from then on, the young blonde was told to address his 'father' by his title as Hokage, nothing less. Naruto was also not allowed to walk within a certain proximity of the kage, always having to be a couple of feet behind him. These were just some of the rules Naruto had to abide by, but he had accepted them a long time ago.

Having been lost in thought, Naruto only then noticed that they were reaching the gates of the academy. He couldn't help but tense up, his nerves getting the better of him. How could they not when he was surrounded with the future shinobi of Konoha no Sato?

Looking around, he felt his nerves calm slightly, only to be replaced with a hollow feeling. All around him were proud parents seeing their children off to their first day, hugging and kissing their cheeks with bright smiles. All around him was what he could never have, and though he had accepted this fact from a young age on, he still felt the longing that any child would have in his situation. What made it worse was that he could see his sister being greeted by other adults and given words of encouragement and praise, while his father stood to the side with a proud smile.

Just as Naruto felt his nerves come back full force, he felt a familiar warmth surround his right hand. Bringing his hand up, he offered the beads a thankful smile, reassured by their calming warmth. He didn't know when it had started, but whenever he felt lonely or pained, his rosary would send off pulses of warmth that no matter what, always calmed him and made him feel cared for. He couldn't explain it, but either way, he gave thanks to Kami, positive it was yet another blessing she had graced him with.

Chancing a glance up at the sky, he grinned up at the sun that seemed to be smiling down on him. _'You have once again blessed me Kami-sama. As I promised all those years ago, I will prove myself to you and become strong. Thank you.'_

"Alright everyone! I want to wish all the newly enrolled students good luck! Know that this is your first step into becoming the shinobi of the future, and you have the village's support at your back. Good luck to all of you, and make your village proud" Minato's voice rang throughout the crowd, causing loud cheers to erupt from adult and child alike, all smiling up at their beloved Hokage.

With a last squeeze to his rosary, Naruto pushed all of his nerves away as he took his first steps into fulfilling his dreams. Unaware of two proud smiles shining down on his back.

* * *

 **AN: Finally done! You guys have no idea how hard this chapter was. I had like no idea where I was trying to go with this, but i think it turned out great! Now, there are a few things that need to be cleared up.**

 **As I said in the top "AN:", I have changed the Sasuke bashing. I know, some of you probably really wanted it, but I have my reasons. I think a friendship between him and Naruto in this story is needed, and will only help Naruto's growth. Note that neither him nor Naruto will be OP, but they will be strong, and even more so when fighting together.**

 **I can also assure you that either Shinigami or Kami will reveal themselves to Naruto in the next chapter.(Which one of the two? You'll just have to wait and see ^^)**

 **NOTE: If any of you want me to change the team placements from canon, just let me know (of course it will be a little different with Natsuki involved, but if you want a major change, then just let me know.) But Naruto and Sasuke WILL be on the same team no matter what, so that is the only thing that won't change. Anything else I can work with if you all want, just let me know in the reviews.**

 **Speaking of suggestions, I'm thinking of giving Naruto a summoning contract of some kind, but I don't know for what. So if any of you have a specific summons you would like him to have, again, just let me know in the reviews. It can be a real summons from Naruto (i.e. Snake, slug, ect.), or it can be a completely original one.**

 **I think that's all I needed to clear up. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that you will continue to read this story.**


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